July in Annapolis is a time of heated debates. And not just because it’s sweltering most days now. Which fireworks are better, Downtown Annapolis or Sherwood Forest? Which parade is best? Good news. The fireworks shows are on different days. The parades are at different times. So if you want to hit ‘em all, go ahead and hit ‘em all. As for us, you’ll find us at the Sherwood fireworks and Severna Park parade.
One plug before the list: our fourth Naptown Scoop Dinner Club is Wednesday, July 15. It goes like this: you tell us who you are and what you like to eat. Then we match you with five tablemates and make all the reservations. You get a text that says where to go the morning of dinner. And then you make new friends. More on this below.
🎆 America's 250th Fourth of July – July 3–5
Annapolis does the Fourth better than most small towns. There are two nights of fireworks: Sherwood Forest over the Severn River on Friday, July 3 (around 9 PM, best seen from a boat or Sherwood itself if you have access), and the city-run show over Spa Creek on Saturday, July 4 at 9:15, right after the 6:30 PM downtown parade. Daytime fun includes bike and neighborhood parades in West Annapolis, Eastport, and Severna Park (the biggest and baddest), plus an all-day America 250 festival downtown with food trucks, live music, and a reading of Frederick Douglass's "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" on the Paca House steps.
🥍 Bonus: the Premier Lacrosse League is bringing its All-Star Weekend to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Fitting for the state that cares about lacrosse more than any other.
We put every parade, fireworks show, cruise, and America 250 event into one guide, including how to watch from the water because how cool is that.
⚽ World Cup hits the home stretch – through July 19
The first men's World Cup on U.S. soil since 1994 is the biggest one ever with 48 teams. The Round of 32 starts at the end of June and spills into early July. The Round of 16 starts Independence Day weekend and everything leads up to the final on Sunday, July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium (aka MetLife).
We mapped the Annapolis bars and restaurants committed to showing all (or nearly all) the games, from the Old Stein Inn's black-red-and-gold crowd to the place with 65 TVs. Root for the home team. That’s us!
🎸 Outdoor concerts almost every night – all summer
Pick a night, (almost) any night, and there's a band playing outside. Thursday Night LIVE at Annapolis Town Center, Dinner Under the Stars on West Street every Wednesday, Tides & Tunes at the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and Maryland Hall's BloomHaven series out on the lawn – go-go cookouts, Grateful Dead-inspired jams, jazz, and bluegrass under the summer sky. We mapped every series, who's playing, and the best way to enjoy each one.
🍽️ Naptown Scoop Dinner Club #4 – Wednesday, July 15
Yes, this one's ours. Take a quick personality quiz, get matched with five strangers who won't be strangers by dessert, and find out the restaurant by text the morning of. The first three meetings each filled up fast, so reserve your seat for #4 before it's gone.
🤣 James Austin Johnson of SNL – Thursday, July 30
The current Saturday Night Live cast member behind that uncanny Trump impression – and a familiar face from Better Call Saul and Barry – brings his stand-up to Rams Head On Stage. Show's at 8 PM, and it's 18 and up.
🧚 A Midsummer Night's Dream – Friday, July 31
Compass Rose Theater's student actors stage Shakespeare's most chaotic comedy outdoors in the gardens at Historic London Town, and they want you in on it. Bring a blanket, grab a pair of fairy wings at the door, and watch four young lovers and one unreliable sprite make a beautiful mess of the woods. It's interactive, it's family-friendly, and dressing in character is encouraged.
☀️ Still chipping away at your summer bucket list?
July is prime time to knock out the Annapolis classics: a sunset sail, a crab feast on the water, an ice cream cone on Main Street, a lazy afternoon at Quiet Waters. We made a whole list of the local must-dos – some we've done a hundred times, and a few we're finally getting to this year.
🗓️ One more thing: the calendar
Everything above is the highlight reel. Our community calendar has hundreds more July events – concerts, camps, trivia nights, paddle outings, farmers markets, the works. Running an event of your own? Submitting it is 100% free. And if you want to give it some extra juice, we offer paid promotion options that put your event in front of more locals.
SEE YOU OUT THERE
